Digital Imaging

Dobrá Tea, Portland, Maine

A new tearoom is coming to Portland, opening March 31, 2011!

The website needed to reflect the unique, mysterious, foreign feel of the tearoom. And so choices for colors and treatments were selected to create the experience that will be similar to the physical tearoom itself. Photographs were taken at the Asheville, NC location of food, tea ware, and interiors. The site was built in WordPress using a base theme that was radically customized into its unique design.

The site uses Google Analytics which has allowed us to see that the site so far has captured the attention of local food bloggers and tea enthusiasts, both locally and afar.

Integrating communication tools such as Twitter and a Facebook fan page and a mostly self-managed email announcement list, is part of the marketing plan to attract customers to the site before the opening March 31.  The integration of “sharing” tools for social media certainly have increased the site’s visibility.

The client is also set up with a “dashboard” for monitoring social media traffic, news searches on tea and the business name, as well as other useful RSS-based tools to help the client keep on top of all that’s happening in relation their business both within the region and worldwide.

The establishment was registered on Google Places with a notation that the tearoom will open on March 31, 2011, so it is currently findable when searched on Google Maps either in a browser or on a mobile device.

A postcard was created to mail and hand out that includes a QR code linking to the description in Google Places. Using a QR code scanning application on, for instance, the iPhone, a customer can scan the code and be taken to the Google Places page for the tearoom to find the website, physical address, etc.

All ready for the grand opening March 31, – April 3.

Photography

Photos old and new, scenic and macro, manipulated and untouched. Travel, real estate, product, etc

Websites for MaineToday.com: Destination: Maine, Off the Maine Street

Writing, design and web development for online travel magazines and special interest websites for MaineToday.com (1997-2000). Projects included photography, audio/video capture and production, and QTVR to provide an all-encompassing user experience.

One of if not the only first interactive Maine online travel magazine, Destination: Maine, included both the factual and fun elements to visiting and living in Maine. The special yearlong monthly project, Off the Maine Street, was created, developed and maintained by Ellen Kanner. It included a visit to a unique place in Maine with write up and audio by Melissa Kim, and photography, development, video and QTVR by Ellen. The 12 month project ventured into the far corners of Maine to discover the “true Maine” and the pair traveled to places north and south, west and downeast.